When this command is used to deploy a virtual machine template to a new virtual machine, the command syntax is as follows:

prlctl create <name> --ostemplate <name> [--location <path>]

[-v, --verbose number]

Note: To create a virtual machine template, use the prlctl clone command.

When this command is used to create a new virtual machine from an existing PVS file (virtual machine configuration file), the command syntax is as follows:

prlctl create <name> [-c, --config <path>][--location <path>]

[-v, --verbose number]

The parameters that can be used with this command are explained in the table below:

Parameter Name

Description

name

The name to be assigned to the virtual machine. If it consists of two or more words separated by spaces, the VM name should be quoted (e.g. "My Virtual Machine").

--location path

The path to the directory on the computer where all configuration files of the newly created virtual machine are to be stored. If the --location parameter is omitted, the VM files are automatically placed to the default folder for virtual machines.

The default folder on servers with Parallels Server installed:

on servers running the MAC operating system (OS): /Users/Shared/Parallels;

on servers running the Windows OS: C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Documents\Parallels;

on servers running the Linux OS: /Users/Shared/Parallels.

The default folder on computers with Parallels Desktop installed:

/Users/<Home_folder>/Documents/Parallels

-c, --config path

The path to the config.pvs configuration file of an existing virtual machine that you wish to use as the basis for creating a new VM.

-o, --ostype name

The operating system family the guest OS you wish to install inside the virtual machine belongs to. It can be one of the following:

windows;

linux;

macos;

feebsd;

os2;

msdos;

netware;

solaris;

other (specify this option if the operating system family you are using is not listed above).

-d, --distribution name

The version of the operating system to be installed inside the newly created virtual machine. It can be one of the following:

win-311;

win-95;

win-98;

win-me;

win-nt;

win-2000;

win-xp;

win-2003;

win-vista;

win-2008;

win (specify this option if the Windows OS version you are using is not listed above);

msdos (specify this option for all MS-DOS operating systems except for MS-DOS 6.22);

os2-3;

os2-4;

os-45;

ecomstation-1.1;

ecomstation-1.2;

os2 (specify this option for all OS/2 operating systems except for the ones listed above);

netware-4;

netware-5;

netware-6;

netware (specify this option for all NetWare operating systems except for the ones listed above);

solaris-9;

solaris-10;

solaris (specify this option for all Solaris operating systems except for the ones listed above);

qnx;

openstep;

other (use this option if the operating system version you are using is not listed above).

--ostemplate name

The name of the virtual machine template to be used as the basis for the virtual machine creation. If it consists of two or more words separated by spaces, the folder name should be quoted (e.g. "My Virtual Machine Template").

You can use the prlctl list --template command to get the list of virtual machine templates that currently exist on the computer and can be used for the VM creation.

-v, --verbose number

Sets the verbosity level for the prlctl create command. The greater number you specify, the more verbose output the command will produce.

Note: If you use the prlctl create command to create virtual machines on Parallels Server, all these virtual machines will be located on the server to which you are currently logged on, even if you are running the command on a remote server.